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High school baseball: Tornillo's Sanchez has had strong final season for Coyotes

By Felix Chávez \ El Paso Times

Posted:
04/13/2014 12:00:00 AM MDT

Tornillo's Sammy Sanchez has come a long way in a short time in the triple jump.

The senior, who began to take the triple jump seriously last season, has a legitimate chance at making the Class 2A state meet this year.

He won the District 5-2A title on April 5 in the triple jump with a mark of 44 feet, 53/4 inches. On Saturday at the area meet in Tuscola, he leaped a personal best 44 feet, 71/4 inches to win the area championship. Next up is regionals on April 25-26 at Ratliff Stadium in Odessa. At the area competition, he was also third in the high jump and fourth in the long jump.

"I've just worked hard all season long," Sanchez said. "I feel like I've improved a great deal from last year because of that hard work. It's been a great year for me in track and field, better than I could have imagined."

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Felix Chavez

Consistency has been the key for Sanchez all season long. He was third in the triple jump at the Horizon Invitational with a leap of 42 feet, 2 inches. He followed that up with jumps of 43 feet, 21/2 inches and 43 feet, 43/4 inches at the Fred Loya and Eastlake invitationals, which preceded his mark at the district championships.

"Sammy has been exceptional this season and he's one of the best in the region in the triple jump," said Cody Burris, who coaches Sanchez in the triple jump and who also is the head basketball coach at Tornillo. "He's a really good athlete and he works hard. He's really developed into a strong triple jumper this past season. It's been nice to see him improve the way he has and it proves that hard work does pay off."

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Sanchez has also been strong in the long jump and high jump for the Coyotes this season. He finished second in the district in the long jump with a leap of 20 feet, 53/4 inches and was second in the high jump with a mark of 6 feet. He finished second in the long jump at the Eastlake meet and fourth in the long jump at the Horizon Invitational earlier this season.

"The triple jump is my best event," he said. "I've really enjoyed it this year and it's been fun. I just want to finish the season strong and hopefully do some great things in the postseason. I had a good district meet and hopefully I can build on that."

Sanchez was also a key member boys basketball program. He helped lead the Coyotes to the District 5-2A title and was named the Co-MVP in the district. He averaged 19 points and 9 boards this past season.

"It's been a great time here at Tornillo," Sanchez said. "We accomplished a great deal in basketball and we had some great wins. I've been fortunate to have been around good teammates."

Added Burris. "Sammy was a real contributor to the basketball program. He gave us everything he had and he's carried that over into track. He helped us win a lot of games and do some good things."